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X-Treme X-Men (2001) (Collected Editions)
X-Treme X-Men, Vol. 4: Mekanix
Once the youngest member of the X-Men, Kitty Pryde has made the decision to leave her former super hero life after experiencing the tragic loss of friends and family as a costumed hero. Unfortunately, the same bigotry and hatred that killed her loved ones continues to haunt her, threatening new and old friends alike.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
4 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Chris Claremont
3,275 books890 followersChris Claremont is a writer of American comic books, best known for his 16-year (1975-1991) stint on Uncanny X-Men, during which the series became one of the comic book industry's most successful properties.
Claremont has written many stories for other publishers including the Star Trek Debt of Honor graphic novel, his creator-owned Sovereign Seven for DC Comics and Aliens vs Predator for Dark Horse Comics. He also wrote a few issues of the series WildC.A.T.s (volume 1, issues #10-13) at Image Comics, which introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman.
Outside of comics, Claremont co-wrote the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, Shadow Moon (1995), Shadow Dawn (1996), and Shadow Star (1999), with George Lucas. This trilogy continues the story of Elora Danan from the movie Willow. In the 1980s, he also wrote a science fiction trilogy about female starship pilot Nicole Shea, consisting of First Flight (1987), Grounded! (1991), and Sundowner (1994). Claremont was also a contributor to the Wild Cards anthology series.
Claremont has written many stories for other publishers including the Star Trek Debt of Honor graphic novel, his creator-owned Sovereign Seven for DC Comics and Aliens vs Predator for Dark Horse Comics. He also wrote a few issues of the series WildC.A.T.s (volume 1, issues #10-13) at Image Comics, which introduced his creator-owned character, Huntsman.
Outside of comics, Claremont co-wrote the Chronicles of the Shadow War trilogy, Shadow Moon (1995), Shadow Dawn (1996), and Shadow Star (1999), with George Lucas. This trilogy continues the story of Elora Danan from the movie Willow. In the 1980s, he also wrote a science fiction trilogy about female starship pilot Nicole Shea, consisting of First Flight (1987), Grounded! (1991), and Sundowner (1994). Claremont was also a contributor to the Wild Cards anthology series.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 20, 2022
After the death of her father and many of her friends, Kitty Pryde has retired from the X-Men and enrolled in the University of Chicago. Unfortunately, its hard for a mutant and former X-Man to have a normal life.
This was pretty good but it ended a bit too abruptly.
This was pretty good but it ended a bit too abruptly.
December 21, 2011
The X-Treme X-men series is pretty poor overall, but this piece is pretty good. Claremont's affection for Kitty Pryde is apparent. It struggles from the same things that all Claremont's pieces do, but with a small cast, it's actually alright.
What in the world the title "Mekanix" means never becomes apparent.
What in the world the title "Mekanix" means never becomes apparent.
June 17, 2017
I wrote a longer review for this volume that somehow disappeared into the ether.
For brevity's sake - it is timely and poignant. Despite some issues, this is a good story.
For brevity's sake - it is timely and poignant. Despite some issues, this is a good story.
March 18, 2021
Having a Marvel Unlimited subscription means diving into some older comics! (Wait, does 2001 count as old now? Uuuugh.) In the mysteriously named Mekanix (the title is never explained), Kitty Pryde aka Shadowcat chooses to leave the X-Men and the superhero life entirely. She’s processing some major grief – most significantly losing her dad after the devastation on the mutant island Genosha. Kitty starts a grad program in Chicago, picks up a bartending gig, and makes some new friends, but danger finds a way of following her.
In many ways this is a classic Claremont story, and his affection for Kitty (who he created) is on full display. The anti-mutant “Purity” group that targets mutants (and doxxes them, before there was a term for it), is still depressingly relevant, and a modern version recently popped up in New Mutants by Ed Brisson. Claremont is never afraid to make the mutant/minorities allegory very clear, and Kitty, who is also Jewish (like Claremont), is a perfect microphone for it. Obviously this will turn off folks, but it’s also what has always made the comics so powerful. (And you can certainly argue that several comics and other properties have forgotten that essential core to the X-Men, but I digress.)
But some things are still pretty off, it’s a combination of the product of its time, and the story as it stands on its own. There’s some cringey, outdated dialogue (particularly from the characters of color) and some dialogue is self-explanatory (Claremont’s signature) too. I appreciate the grief aspect and Kitty going to therapy, but it wasn’t as effective it could have been; we actually learn more about the therapist than any real breakthrough for Kitty. The pacing is also strange. The focus on Kitty, the grad program and Purity (along with Alice, a VERY problematic villain), reaches a high point and then is suddenly disrupted by new and improved Sentinels. I suspect Claremont took the mutant allegory as far as he could and then cut it off for more typical X-Men content. I’m honestly not sure if this is the story Claremont wanted to tell in full, though it was nice to have some action.
Probably the biggest highlight of Mekanix is Kitty’s friendship with Xi’an Coy Manh, aka Karma, who is living in Chicago with her two young siblings, as well as Shan, a new character. It’s quite obvious that Kitty and Xi'an, who is a lesbian, have a romantically charged moment, and I later learned that Claremont tried to confirm Kitty as bisexual in this arc, but one of the higher ups wouldn’t have it. Thankfully she was finally canonized as queer in last year's Marauders.
The art is really not my style. Bobillo’s style is too loose, and it didn’t really make me feel like I was reading an X-Men universe book. Kitty is really over-sexualized (also part of comics 20+ years ago, doesn’t mean I have to like it), her midriff is constantly showing even in the middle of a huge scientific experiment – I say this not to be shaming, but because it literally doesn’t make sense practically. All the women are put into gratuitous poses, and her lips look . Also, I’m sorry to say this about the one woman on the book, but Cecilia Calle’s covers are just atrocious, aside from the one they used for this cover (thank god); really poorly done and also amp up the objectification to an insane degree.
In many ways this is a classic Claremont story, and his affection for Kitty (who he created) is on full display. The anti-mutant “Purity” group that targets mutants (and doxxes them, before there was a term for it), is still depressingly relevant, and a modern version recently popped up in New Mutants by Ed Brisson. Claremont is never afraid to make the mutant/minorities allegory very clear, and Kitty, who is also Jewish (like Claremont), is a perfect microphone for it. Obviously this will turn off folks, but it’s also what has always made the comics so powerful. (And you can certainly argue that several comics and other properties have forgotten that essential core to the X-Men, but I digress.)
But some things are still pretty off, it’s a combination of the product of its time, and the story as it stands on its own. There’s some cringey, outdated dialogue (particularly from the characters of color) and some dialogue is self-explanatory (Claremont’s signature) too. I appreciate the grief aspect and Kitty going to therapy, but it wasn’t as effective it could have been; we actually learn more about the therapist than any real breakthrough for Kitty. The pacing is also strange. The focus on Kitty, the grad program and Purity (along with Alice, a VERY problematic villain), reaches a high point and then is suddenly disrupted by new and improved Sentinels. I suspect Claremont took the mutant allegory as far as he could and then cut it off for more typical X-Men content. I’m honestly not sure if this is the story Claremont wanted to tell in full, though it was nice to have some action.
Probably the biggest highlight of Mekanix is Kitty’s friendship with Xi’an Coy Manh, aka Karma, who is living in Chicago with her two young siblings, as well as Shan, a new character. It’s quite obvious that Kitty and Xi'an, who is a lesbian, have a romantically charged moment, and I later learned that Claremont tried to confirm Kitty as bisexual in this arc, but one of the higher ups wouldn’t have it. Thankfully she was finally canonized as queer in last year's Marauders.
The art is really not my style. Bobillo’s style is too loose, and it didn’t really make me feel like I was reading an X-Men universe book. Kitty is really over-sexualized (also part of comics 20+ years ago, doesn’t mean I have to like it), her midriff is constantly showing even in the middle of a huge scientific experiment – I say this not to be shaming, but because it literally doesn’t make sense practically. All the women are put into gratuitous poses, and her lips look . Also, I’m sorry to say this about the one woman on the book, but Cecilia Calle’s covers are just atrocious, aside from the one they used for this cover (thank god); really poorly done and also amp up the objectification to an insane degree.
March 27, 2018
Actual rating 4.5.
This is a reread for me, the first in many years. Kitty Pryde has always been one of my favourite X-Men characters, and Mekanix was a nice slice-of-life look at her outside of the X-Men. She's haunted by her experiences and is learning to live and learn from them, taking support from unexpected places. Is the volume perfect? No, but it's a great character study of Kitty and one of my faves.
This is a reread for me, the first in many years. Kitty Pryde has always been one of my favourite X-Men characters, and Mekanix was a nice slice-of-life look at her outside of the X-Men. She's haunted by her experiences and is learning to live and learn from them, taking support from unexpected places. Is the volume perfect? No, but it's a great character study of Kitty and one of my faves.
January 14, 2021
This was pretty standard "humans hate the muties" X-men stuff, but without the X-men. A couple other mutants were included and rogue sentinels. So really it's the same thing, just no Wolverine. But it was still fun, poor Kitty can't escape her superhero calling.
Not sure how this blends in with the rest of the X-treme X-men series, but I guess I'll find out when I read Vol 5.
Not sure how this blends in with the rest of the X-treme X-men series, but I guess I'll find out when I read Vol 5.
May 9, 2021
I started reading this because it was a sel-contained and short (5 issue) TPB about Kitty Pryde going back to university but the RANDOM capitalisation used in the SPEECH bubbles put me off almost as much as the constant exploitative pictures of Kitty's arse and her BDSM uniform she wears during her part-time job as a bartender. I award this comic two stars and may God have mercy on the caps lock.
February 20, 2022
Clearly inspired by the TV show Felicity (ie Therapy scenes), this is a good time capsule into early 2000s college life (on TV). Nothing original here and Kitty / Kate is a bit too Mary Suey, but still fun, I just needed more cheezy college shenanigan like a cliche love story or unreasonable professor
October 15, 2021
Kitty Pryde needs all the stories!!!
December 31, 2022
A little wordy, but that's Claremont for you. Solid storytelling overall, and nice use of Morrison's wild sentinels.
January 24, 2023
The interior art is much better than the covers. I read this in the spirit of completionism, and unfortunately it just wasn’t for me.
September 10, 2023
Héroes Marvel dedicado a Kitty Pryde con dibujos de artistas argentinos y españoles.
November 11, 2025
i love u kitty pryde
really enjoy how much this highlights the cruelty the mutants face
really enjoy how much this highlights the cruelty the mutants face
September 2, 2016
Chris Claremont returns to fan favorite Kitty Pryde in a story that sold poorly on initial release but has since become a cult classic, the go-to story for anyone who wants to get some context for what Kitty was doing before Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run. This is a small-scale character study with art that I found off-putting, some definite queer overtones with Karma, and generally a four-issue exploration of what happens to all those times the author packs someone off to school to get them off an X-team. Claremont, as ever, has a solid grasp on what makes Shadowcat tick, and it's refreshing to come back to this after so many writers have written her so badly in recent years. Long-time fans will recognize that this is basically a less cheesy version of Claremont's "Girls' School from Heck" storyline from Excalibur, but that was also a great run.
September 16, 2013
Early, solid work from Bobillo. I wish he had a regular series...
I applaud Claremont's decision to return Kitty to college, but the whole "working in a bar as an underaged waitress in BDSM gear" didn't work. The strong relationship that developes between Karma and Kitty is also something that was quickly jetisoned, but I thought their friendship and its origins in Shan's awkward crush was the strongest human element here.
The rest of the story is standard overly-unnecessarily-complicated-Claremont.
I applaud Claremont's decision to return Kitty to college, but the whole "working in a bar as an underaged waitress in BDSM gear" didn't work. The strong relationship that developes between Karma and Kitty is also something that was quickly jetisoned, but I thought their friendship and its origins in Shan's awkward crush was the strongest human element here.
The rest of the story is standard overly-unnecessarily-complicated-Claremont.
October 25, 2015
It was nice to see Kitty Pryde written almost as an adult. Way too much attack and defend, and same old story-line of mutants are evil. And the cover art was horribly awful. But in general it shows the possibilities. Even being in Chicago rather than New York State or New York City was a nice change. Being at a college rather than high school. It's too bad it didn't lead to something a lot longer.
As for the title - early in the book Kitty says she is working as her Professor's Mechanic. Of course she's an X-Mechanic so I guess a Mekanix. Which is dumb.
As for the title - early in the book Kitty says she is working as her Professor's Mechanic. Of course she's an X-Mechanic so I guess a Mekanix. Which is dumb.
January 11, 2016
Claremont writing Kitty Pryde is always good. A lot of the story beats are reminiscent of Kitty telling off bigots in Uncanny X-men in the late 80s, but are given more room to breathe here. We also get to see the cost this endless battle has on Kitty's soul.
The art was solid, usually with clear storytelling. The color palette is very restrained, with lots of greys, and muted blues and greens. It served to contrast Kitty's attempt at a normal life with her previous superheroic one, but some of the panels got a bit muddy at times.
The art was solid, usually with clear storytelling. The color palette is very restrained, with lots of greys, and muted blues and greens. It served to contrast Kitty's attempt at a normal life with her previous superheroic one, but some of the panels got a bit muddy at times.
August 2, 2011
Included in the X-Treme X-Men banner, this volume focuses on Kitty Pryde and her attempts to live a normal existence. The appearance of a few mutants (both old and new) brings in a new form of Sentinel that threatens Kitty's under-the-radar existence - and reminds her of what it means to be an X-Man.
November 2, 2014
Despite the regrettable name and some questionable art, a pretty wonderful story about Kitty Pryde.
October 8, 2024
Libro de historietas con ISBN propio. Miniserie dedicada al personaje de X-Men.
June 5, 2017
Kitty Pride lives as a student and fights with mutant hate and sentinels.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews